How Violence Prevention Leaders Avoid Burnout and Stay Authentic| With Shawn Dove
If you’re leading violence prevention work, community intervention, or serving Black men and boys — this conversation with Shawn Dove is a leadership masterclass built from lived experience.
Shawn Dove isn’t just a thought leader. He’s someone who has walked through recovery, grief, identity, failure, and success with purpose intact. He’s the founder of the Campaign for Black Male Achievement and the author of I Too, Am America: On Loving and Leading Black Men and Boys. In this episode, he breaks open the leadership burdens most don’t talk about: the tension between public success and private struggle, the cost of wearing armor, and the invisible labor of staying whole while leading.
What you’ll get out of this episode:
What you’ll get out of this episode:
Why your inner life matters more than your inbox. Shawn lays out why you must work harder on yourself than your job — not as soft talk, but as a survival strategy for sustaining the work.
Three pillars every leader should build: a mentor, a coach, and a therapist (or true therapeutic community) — and how these relationships keep you steady in crisis and success.
A leadership spectrum you actually need: the difference between showmanship and substance — from “Django” energy to “Butler” strategy — and why emotional intelligence is your competitive advantage.
How funding systems pressure competition. Shawn calls out how philanthropy often creates scarcity and why leaders need to own their value and demand collaboration instead of competing for crumbs.
A reframing of achievement for young Black men and boys. This goes beyond credentials and programs — toward love, belonging, economic viability, purpose, and narrative power.
This isn’t about inspiration. It’s about practical leadership architecture for the people carrying this work on the frontlines. If you’re a nonprofit executive, government leader, CVI director, or funder serious about systemic change, you’ll walk away with a clearer map for leading without losing yourself.
Listen now — and share this with one person whose leadership you want to strengthen.
